Comparable Metabolic Effects for E-Cigarettes, Smoking

WEDNESDAY, July 5, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Electronic cigarette smoking has the same deleterious effect on weight and metabolic parameters as traditional cigarettes, according to research published online June 29 in Obesity Reviews.

Noting that smoking increases insulin resistance and contributes to other features of the metabolic profile, Ann A. Verhaegen, M.D., and Luc Van Gaal, M.D., Ph.D., from Antwerp University Hospital in Belgium, and colleagues examined the impact of e-cigarettes on metabolic parameters.

The researchers note that based on animal model experiments, e-cigarette smoking has similar effects as regular cigarette smoking on weight and metabolic parameters, even without nicotine exposure.

“Animal studies available today suggest that e-cigarette smoking has comparable deleterious effects on weight, body fat distribution, glucose and lipid parameters, and other cardiovascular risk factors as regular cigarettes, although they might be less pronounced,” the authors write. “Until more human data are available, e-cigarette smoke should be used with caution, not only because of the pulmonary and carcinogenic effects, but also because of the possible cardiometabolic effects.”